A half-baked theory on why Skin-Spies recognize Seswatha

OK, so you know how all Skin-Spies keep cooing "Chiiigraa..." at every Mandati (and presumably Swayali) sorcerer? In places, they even mention that they can sense how strongly Seswatha burns in each of them. It's unclear when, how, and why they would be programmed with this ability.

The "when" question seems clear enough - Seswatha lived two thousand years ago, and the Skin-Spies are relatively new additions to the game. Or are they? It's not out of the question that the SS were around as far back as the First Apocalypse without anyone ever knowing. It would explain a lot, actually. (The burning of the White Ships, Ieva's betrayal, etc.) But then, why not just use them in the intervening period? Why bother with visible agents if you had invisible ones lying around?

That brings us to the "how" question, because what the fuck is up with this Seswatha-detecting trick? It's vaguely reminiscent of the gift of the Few, but way more precise - they don't just recognize sorcerers, they recognize the faint trace of one particular, long-dead sorcerer. How exactly is that supposed to work? And how can they tell apart the intensity of Seswatha's presence? How subtle is this Chigra-sense anyway? Is it Tekne, Sorcery, or another Tekne-Sorcery-Snake-Dagger-Combo like TNG himself?

Finally, we get to the "why". Did the Consult really need to include this functionality in the current distro? Could it truly be just a compensation for Skin-Spies lacking the gift of the Few, enabling them to spot Sorcerers? It doesn't seem like most Mandati were trying to hide anyway, with their crimson robes - spies like Achamian were the exception. Could it be that Shaeonanra was professionally curious to learn what gimmick Seswatha used to stave off Damnation? Feels weird that he'd invent such a specific feature just out of curiosity. Or could it be that Seswatha's soul specifically is somehow relevant to the Consult's overall plan, so they invested what must be immense resources to devise these Seswatha-detecting faceless things which could keep track of him.

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It's that last bit of speculation, combined with a throwaway line from a Skin-Spy in the first book, that's led me to this potential explanation.

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In Xerius's torture room, the Skeaos Skin-Spy tells Achamian, "You are the first, Chigra, and you will be the last." What if we interpret this as more than just a cool thing to say to a motherfucker before you get burned to death with sorcery?

What if the SSS is indicating that the Consult had ways of detecting which souls will be saved, post the Apocalypse? Which souls will qualify for the final 144,000 count? What if they somehow, perhaps accidentally, established that Seswatha was to be one of them? They took a reading, something went "beep", and they were like, "We got it! We got our first survivor!"

But after TNG ate shit, Seswatha lived out the rest of his days and died as all men do, off to burn forever in the Outside... except in a way, he didn't. He somehow split his soul, allowed it to ride on forever like a symbiont attached to new sorcerers who touched his heart and learned the Gnosis.

And learning that Seswatha was still around, the Consult must have been emboldened. They must've been, "This makes sense! Once we repair TNG and Resumption is a go, we will get our 144k survivors, and one or more of them will be Mandati! It's all good!"

So that could be why they've devised a way of monitoring Seswatha's successors. That could be what SSS means when he tells Chigra that he was the first (to qualify for the prestigious 14-4 club) and he'll also be the last (to enter said club once all is said and done).

TL;DR version - maybe the Consult are operating on the assumption that "Chigra" is destined to be one of the 144,000 survivors? If they have the ability to screen for such souls, it would make sense for Skin-Spies to be equipped with it, watching and waiting patiently.

WDYT?